Slava Medvedenko

Infobox NBA Player
name = Stanislav Medvedenko
Станіслав Медведенко
nickname = Slava


caption =
league =
team = Atlanta Hawks
position = Power forward
height_ft = 6
height_in = 10
weight_lb = 253
nationality = UKR
birth_date = Birth date and age|1979|4|4|
birth_place = Karapyshi, Kiev Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
highschool =
college =
draft = Undrafted
draft_year =
career_start = 1997
career_end =
former_teams = Budivelnik Kiev (1997–1998)
Alita Ayltus (1998–1999)
BC Kiev (1999–2000)
Los Angeles Lakers (2000–2006)
Atlanta Hawks (2006–2007)
awards =

Stanislav "Slava" Medvedenko ( _uk. Станіслав "Слава" Медведенко, born April 4, 1979 in Karapyshi, Kiev Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union) is a Ukrainian professional basketball player, who last played with the Atlanta Hawks in the National Basketball Association. His position is power forward.

Medvedenko, who joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000, is known for his shoot-first mentality. His shooting technique and skill have never been in doubt, but his work ethic and defense were far behind his offensive skills in his early career (much to the ire of sports commentators, especially Stephen A. Smith).

The 2003–04 season was his breakout year, as Karl Malone injured his knee and Medvedenko started the majority of games. As such, his scoring and rebounding averages doubled and he was no longer seen as a liability in the fans' eyes. Unfortunately, an injury kept him out of the 2004 pre-season and he dropped down the depth chart, unable to find his way back into the lineup under Rudy Tomjanovich. With Phil Jackson's return to the Lakers, there was hope that Medvedenko would play a greater role due to his experience with the triangle offense. However, due to a herniated disc in his lower back that required surgery, he missed almost the entire 2006 season. He was waived at the beginning of March, 2006, to clear roster space to enable the Lakers to sign guard Jim Jackson.

Medvedenko was signed by the Atlanta Hawks on December 28, 2006 for about $600,000, for the remainder of the season. [ [http://www.nba.com/nba_news/hawks_medvedenko_061228.html Hawks sign former Lakers forward Medvedenko] ] As of December 27, 2007, he is unemployed and still treating his lower back. [ [http://basketball.sport.com.ua/news.phtml?id=35073 Medvedenko's current status] (Russian)]

References

External links

* [http://www.nba.com/playerfile/stanislav_medvedenko/index.html?nav=page Player profile on NBA.com]
* [http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3458 Player profile on ESPN.com]
* [http://www.brama.com/news/press/020625medvedenko_basketball.html Interview with Medvedenko]
* [http://youtube.com/watch?v=j9VZ-JrMV5k&search=Slava%20Medvedenko Slava's First American TV Interview]

Persondata
NAME=Medvedenko, Stanislav
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Medvedenko, Slava (nickname)
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Pro basketball player
DATE OF BIRTH=April 4, 1979
PLACE OF BIRTH=Karapyshi, Kiev Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=